Four Woodmore teachers give a combined 128 years

Written by Anastasia Dombrowski,Tyler Thieroff, Josh Majchszak and Zakk Post

May 05, 2011

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Four teachers, Jan Preston, Cindy Avers, Barb Travis, and Barb Smith, have given a combined 128 years teaching when they retired from Woodmore Schools at the end of this school year.

Jan Preston, who will retire this year after being at Woodmore for 39 years, has been a teacher and a full time counselor. She has had a great impact on Woodmore students and staff.

She taught senior English, freshmen English, middle school Language Arts, high school speech, middle school personal development and a middle school peer facilitator’s class. She loves working with students and helping them along their path of education.

“The students are phenomenal, no question about that,” Preston said with a smile.

She has also been involved with many school activities including: Leadership Board, 7th and 9th grade district testing coordinator and student service coordinator.

After retiring this year, she plans to spend more time with her husband and looks forward to spending more time with her grandchildren. She is also eager to have more free time to visit with her son, who is in the military.

Nancy Slotterbeck will miss her helping hand.

“Her absences in this school will have a profound effect,” said Slotterbeck.

She has found it a lot of fun working with Preston,

“She is wonderful, a true friend and a professional,” Slotterback added.

Preston has a great relationship with the staff, students and parents and will be greatly missed.

Cindy Avers has blessed Woodmore with her presence for the past 35 years. Before starting full-time at Woodmore she taught migrant school and was also a substitute.

During her years at Woodmore, Avers has taught first grade, migrant school, Geography, Language Arts, Latin, ACT prep, math and her favorite, French. She enjoys seeing the students grow academically and knowing that she played a role in that happening.

She has accumulated many memories while at Woodmore but says one is her favorite.

“I’ve had many great memories at this school but the best would have to be starting at the elementary and transitioning to high school and especially my French classes,” Avers said.

After retirement, Avers plans on traveling to the many countries in Europe and out west to Colorado.

Avers will be greatly missed and she will equally miss Woodmore. She says the thing she will miss most is teaching her students something unique they have not learned before and all of her students in general.

It is no doubt the two ladies will be missed, but it is hoped by Woodmore students and faculty that both have wonderful retirements after serving this school for so many years.

Elementary teachersAt the end of this school year, Woodmore Elementary will be saying good-bye to two beloved staff members, Travis and Smith.

Barb Smith has been teaching for 29 years. She has taught grades K-3 at two different schools, Benton-Carroll-Salem and Woodmore. She attended Boardman High in Youngstown, and then went to Bowling Green State University, where she graduated in 1967.

Smith is currently teaching third grade, her self-proclaimed favorite grade to teach, and enjoys teaching math and science. Over her 25 years of teaching at WES, her favorite memories involve reading to children and laughing with her fellow teachers.

When asked why she decided to retire, Smith responded, “It just feels right, and I want to spend more time with my family, especially my grandchildren.”

She also plans to travel in her new found free time.

Barb Travis has been teaching for a total of 29 years, and has taught kindergarten, first, second and third grades.

“Third grade is my favorite grade I’ve taught,” said Travis.

All of the years she has taught have been at Woodmore. She even graduated from Woodmore High School in 1972. She then attended Bowling Green State University in 1976.

“It’s time,” Mrs. Travis said about retiring.

Although she loves her job and enjoys helping kids, she feels it’s necessary to retire. Her favorite subject is reading, and she will miss working with all of her students and the lunch bunch.

One of her most memorable moments while teaching was a time when the third and fourth grade teachers performed in a talent show and played the recorders like the kids played with them. As they performed it, they wore crazy hats, funny glasses and mustaches.

(Reprinted with permission from the April 2011 edition of Window to Woodmore, a student publication. Anastasia Dombrowski, Tyler Thieroff, Josh Majchszak, and Zakk Post are staff writers).

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